A woman is born with all of the egg cells she will release throughout her lifetime. Starting at about age 12 through menopause, a woman’s reproductive cycle releases an egg about once a month.

Hormonal messages from the brain instruct the ovaries to develop several follicles in which a single dominant follicle in one of the ovaries will release an egg for fertilization. During this time, other hormones instruct the uterine lining to thicken in preparation for nourishing a fertilized egg.

There are several hormones that regulate the reproductive cycle. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulates preparation of the egg for fertilization by instructing a follicle to begin dividing it’s genetic material (chromosomes).

The follicle then releases estrogen, the hormone that prepares the lining of the uterus to receive a fertilized egg. Increased levels of estrogen in the bloodstream cause a small structure in the brain, the pituitary gland to start releasing luteinizing hormone (LH).

LH causes the follicle to enlarge rapidly and to release its egg in a process known as ovulation. Once the egg is out of the follicle, the follicle begins secreting the hormone progesterone, which also helps to prepare the uterine lining for the fertilized egg. The remaining cells of the follicle shrink into a hormone producing mass of cells called a corpus luteum.

The egg is swept into the fallopian tube by its waving structures called fimbriae. Fertilization of the egg usually occurs in the fallopian tube. From there, it is transported to the uterus and implants itself in the uterine wall, where it is nourished by the uterine lining. In the ovary, the corpus luteum produces progesterone so that the egg can develop into a fetus.

If the egg is not fertilized within 24 hours after its release from the ovary, it stops developing and dissolves before reaching the uterus. The absence of a fertilized egg causes the body to stop releasing the hormones that prepare the uterus for implantation. In response, the uterus sheds its lining over a period of four to five days in a process known as menstruation.

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